Story of the Barn
|
 |
Frank Wolf, whose family still farms in Uniontown, built the barn in 1935 for Jack Dahmen and his family who used it for a commercial dairy operation until 1952 when it was purchased by his nephew Steve Dahmen and wife Junette. Both Steve and Junette have had an interest in fine art for years. Junette has been working as an artist since the early 1980s, and Steve has made a public display of his artistic skills by building the surrounding wheel fence over a 30 year period. It all started with his building a gate of rake tines, and after friends began contributing wheels, the fence quickly grew. Says Junette Dahmen in a history of the wheel fence, "Every wheel has a story from the smallest to the biggest. There are wheels from every kind of machine, an antique baby buggy, threshing machines, push-binder wheels, sidewinder or delivery rakes, old hay rakes and gears of every kind, large and small." Today the fence exhibits over 1000 wheels. Steve also designed the antique weather vane and installed it on the barn roof in 1990, and fashioned some metal "greeters" - a farmer holding a pitchfork and nippers, and a wire-eared dog you meet as you approach the entrance to the barn. The barn and the surrounding fence have become a landmark attracting artists and photographers from afar. Its image has appeared in many publications, including National Geographic.
The Uniontown Community Development Association (UCDA), a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation governed by an 11 member board of community volunteers, had set up a public development authority to do a similar historic renovation project in Uniontown, the Sage Baking Company, in 2002, and the Dahmens liked the result. So, without heirs, and not having the ability to maintain the structure, Steve and Junette donated the barn to the UCDA in 2004 with the stipulation that it be stabilized, maintained and put to a community use. UCDA carefully considered options for the use of the barn. An economic development consultant hired by the Town of Uniontown in 1995 reported that an art and craft retail operation should do well in town, so the possibility of an art center was explored. The Palouse is known to have many, many talented people working at their arts and crafts in their homes, with little way to market their products, so the board of directors took on the challenge. Junette Dahmen, an oil and watercolor artist, was thrilled. A feasibility study was done, and the board found enthusiasm for the idea, so work began in earnest. Constructive Solutions was hired to work on the design of the interior space of the building. The exterior was to remain as close to original as possible because of its historical significance. The wind had swayed the barn to the east and the north over the years and the foundation on its west side was effectively non-functional. A creative solution was needed to bring the leaning structure back to plumb, and to stabilize it. Fearless Engineering from Missoula, Montana, took that challenge and came up with a beautiful system that allows the vaulted roof of the barn to remain untouched and intact inside. It is a piece of artwork in itself.The first task was to clean out the old barn. It had decades of pigeon droppings on the second floor and lots of old, broken equipment. The ground floor, which was several different concrete levels for dairy barn use, had to be removed. This work was done by very dedicated volunteers. Board vice-president Gene Dixon began a photo documentary of the project during the clean-out phase. Marv Entel of RESSCO, local general contractor, rolled up his sleeves and began the reconstruction. Marv had worked with UCDA on the Sage Baking Company project. Dale Miller, president of UCDA, used his grant writing skills to obtain many tens of thousands of dollars for the project. These funds were added to the private donations of cash, labor and materials to get the project done. The facility has no mortgage thanks to the help of many, many people, agencies and organizations. This was truly a labor of love by the community for this old barn. Special construction features in the barn include: a hot water radiant heating system in the ground floor''s concrete slab; two restrooms designed to be fully handicap accessible, and space for a future elevator which ended up being installed in 2008 with a grant from USDA Rural Development. The contractor volunteered his time to tear down two old deteriorating barns to reclaim boards for finishing the interior of the Dahmen Barn. The ground floor has the retail store, several artisan studios, classroom space and a restroom. The second level has more studio spaces, another restroom, a kitchen for tenants'' use and the Hay Loft Hall which is used for large gatherings. On a third level, the space above the studios on the west and north sides is a balcony. The dream is not complete, however. There is a loafing shed behind the barn that will house restored antique agricultural equipment some day, and there is talk of holding outdoor concerts on the west side of the barn where the audience will sit on the natural amphitheater encircled by the wheel fence.UCDA has been active in developing and promoting the educational programs and performances held at the barn in order for the participating artisans to be successful. A Dahmen Barn Foundation will be developed to sustain the facility long term. The grand opening of the facility was held on October 1, 2006. Those who attended heard several music groups who would be playing concerts or dances in the future, and saw the work of many instructors of the first year''s classes. Junette Dahmen drew the winning ticket for the quilt made by Uniontown''s master quilter Sharon Dixon. Sharon donated 275 hours to design and construct the beautiful piece, which features Palouse colors and the barn itself in the center.
The management of the renovation work was provided by Marvin Entel, RESSCO. LLC. Assistance was provided by:Atlas Concrete, Sand and Gravel Becker Insulation Bill & Juanita Kinzer Columbia Paint Dan Irby Dave Entel Dave Vincent Early Bird Supply E.H.S. Electrical E-Z Rentals Greg Entel Hahn Supply Inland Telephone J & J Construction & Design Lightening Heating and Cooling Maurice Moneymaker Mike Fauver Philip Entel Pullman Appliance Quality Concrete Rick Dudley Roach Construction Robert & Renee Larabee Robert Lane R & R Cable Company Sam Kimble Seaport Glass and Windows Shaun O'Kelley Steve's Welding Stewart Warner Tim McCarty Roofing Tom Heitstuman Touch of Glass United Rentals Designers included: Designers were:Constructive Solutions Fearless Engineering Elliott Engineering
A myriad of Uniontown community people donated over 3500 hours to get this ambitious project done.
|
|
|